Moremi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the region in Botswana, see Moremi Wildlife Reserve
Queen Moremi Ajasoro, is a figure of high significance in the history of the Yorubas of southwest Nigeria. She hailed from Ile-Ife a town that was being persecuted by the Igbos and its citizens being enslaved by the same. Moremi was a very brave and beautiful woman who in order to deal with the problem facing her people offered her son in sacrifice to the goddess of river Esimirin so that she could discover the strength of the Igbos.
In a tale with certain parallels to the biblical story of Moses, she was taken as a slave to the Igbos and through her beauty married the ruler of the Igbos and became a queen. After discovering the secrets of the Igbos she escaped to Ile-Ife and revealed this to the Yorubas who were able to subsequently defeat the Igbos in battle.
In order to fulfil her pledge, her son Olurogbo was given in sacrifice to the goddess. The Edi Festival was then started to celebrate the sacrifice of Moremi for the people of Yorubaland.
A number of public places are named after Queen Moremi in Nigeria, such as the Female Halls of Residence in the University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University.
